Charge: Man shot boy, man following argument

Published 8:56 am, Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A purported gang member accused of shooting two people, including a teen boy, on a Rainier Valley street has been arrested.

King County prosecutors claim Larenzo Leslie Rhodes opened fire on a group of men on Jan. 26, wounding his intended target and a 15-year-old boy.

Charged with first-degree assault, drive-by shooting and unlawful gun possession, Rhodes, 27, is accused of shooting the 15-year-old and a 29-year-old man. Police contend the boy was hit at random, while the 29-year-old had attempted to defuse the argument that ended in bloodshed.

Rhodes, a convicted robber and car thief with a criminal history dating back 14 years, is alleged to have fired 10 to 20 shots in a busy area of Rainier Avenue South across from a library. In addition to the two injured in the shooting, prosecutors contend Rhodes put at risk several other people caught in the line of fire.

“The defendant’s shots struck two of his intended victims, causing both the spend an extended period of time in the hospital, and placed at risk the safety of others, including the owners and occupants of three vehicles struck by the bullets and multiple families that were dining at a restaurant where another bullet landed,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Maurice Classen told the court. “The defendant’s criminal history and actions in this case show that the defendant is an unreliable, volatile and dangerous man.”

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At 5 p.m. the day of the shooting, Seattle police and medics responded to the Safeway gas station at 9262 Rainier Avenue South following reports of a shooting there.

Medics arrived to find a 15-year-old boy shot twice. One of the bullets struck him in the chest, while a second hit his right arm and shattered his elbow; he was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.

The 29-year-old man was hit in the neck and taken to Harborview in a private car before medics arrived.

Prior to the shooting, Rhodes was heard yelling “D-Dub” – an acronym for a south Seattle gang – at a group of men. When a man in that group told Rhodes not to disrespect them, Rhodes allegedly stepped out of his Chevy Blazer and instigated a fight.

According to charging documents, a witness said one alleged victim knocked Rhodes to the ground and attempted to defuse the situation by helping him up.

“Man, we don’t need to do this,” the 29-year-old told Rhodes, according to charging documents.

Rhodes then boarded a white Chevy Tahoe and drove away from the area momentarily.

According to charging documents, Rhodes then returned alone, stepped out of the SUV and shot one of the victims. He is alleged to have continued firing as he returned to the SUV and fled the scene while one of the other men opened fire.

Police later learned Rhodes and the older victim had known each other for years, and in fact had grown up in the same neighborhood. According to charging documents, Rhodes and the 29-year-old are or had been members of the same street gang, though the older man told police he’s no longer very active in the gang.

Examining the shooting scene, officers found bullet holes in the door of a nearby pho restaurant and at least three cars. Police ultimately recovered eight 9 mm cartridge casings in the area.

Contacted by police at Harborview, the 29-year-old said he tried to talk Rhodes down and believed he had succeeded in doing so, until Rhodes returned and started shooting, Seattle Detective Robert Thomas told the court.

“(He) told me that he was in front of the barbershop when the suspect came up to him and picked a fight,” Thomas told the court. “He did not want to fight and tried to calm the suspect down but the suspect persisted so he put him on the ground. (He) stated that he picked the suspect up, they hugged and he thought that it was over.

“The suspect then came back and shot him.”

The 15-year-old had gotten off the bus in the area and was walking by when he saw the fight break out, Thomas told the court. He was shot when Rhodes was firing in retreat. Rhodes and the boy hadn’t met prior to the shooting.

Seattle detectives and Normandy Park police arrested Rhodes on Tuesday in that city.

Prosecutors have asked that Rhodes be held on $1 million bail. He remained jailed Wednesday.